Cardigan Empire

Salt Lake City Fashion Stylist

Back to School for Girls in 15 Items

I believe in early fashion literacy.  And the best way to teach these youngsters to avoid one-to-one outfit pairings (ie one shirt shall always be paired with one pair of pants and nothing else) is the liberal application of wardrobe clusters: layering science, signature style compositions, color equations.  Your sweet tween will have mastered creative clothing strategy before her sneaker ever steps foot in the classroom.

Below a shopping list and theoretical application:

ShopStyle

That’s more than two weeks of outfits, no repeats, with change left over for lunch money and fruity scented erasers.

What’s in your daughter’s back to school cluster?  Tell me in the comments.

Like my outfit?  Direct your digital attention to Shop & Apparel.  You shan’t be disappointed.

Want more?

(2012) Back to School for Girls in 13 Items

(2012) Back to School for Boys in 13 Items

(2013) Back to School for Girls in 15 Items

(2013) Back to School for Boys in 15 Items

Fashion Multi-Tasking: Styling with 31 Bits

I love multi-tasking.  
I consume audio books while washing dishes, I catch-up with girlfriends while running, and I benefit women in Northern Uganda while I accessorize.  
The last act is performed with the assistance of 31 Bits.  Who “uses fashion and design to empower women to rise above poverty.” 
What started with 5 college junior philanthropistis and 6 Ugandan beneficiaries has grown to over 170 beneficiaries and has been featured in Harpers Bazaar, People Style Watch, and Martha Stewart.
It starts with the beads. They’re made by women in Northern Uganda from recycled paper: unused posters, advertisements, old text book pages.  They’re cut into long strips, rolled tightly. and coated in a water-based varnish.  99% of the materials are sourced in Eastern Africa.

Every purchase helps these women earn an income, provide for their family, further the local economy, and find empowerment. 
I tell people all the time that fashion is more than superficial vanity. This is tangible proof.

Style Notes: 31 Bits necklace (fall + winter 2014 collection) / Frances clutch (available in store now) / Embroidered Top / Tapestry Pencil Skirt / Link Bracelet / Geometric Bracelet (old, similar here)

Photography by Kym Ventola

Be sure to visit Summer Bellessa, Alex Evjen, Lauren Kelp, Lindsay Letters, Style Tutor, Confessions of a Hairstylist, and Sea Salt to see how they styled their bits!

Feed me fashionably fresh